Credit: BYU Athletics
Yoeli Childs Draft Profile
Breaking down the NBA potential of Yoeli Childs
| Junior | 6’8″ 225 | Power Forward | BYU | 21 Yrs. Old |
| 21.2 ppg | 9.7 rpg | 2.1 apg | FG: 50.7% | 3 PT: 32.3% |
Wingspan: 7’0″
NBA Comparison: Patrick Patterson/Juan Hernangomez
Strengths: Crafty inside scorer, Spot up shooter, High Motor, Rebounding
Weaknesses: End to end speed, Lateral quickness
Arriving at BYU as a four star recruit, Childs had a solid freshman season and then improved over his sophomore and junior years. In the modern NBA, stretch power forwards are always in demand, and that would perfectly describe Childs game. His ability to score inside in a variety of ways, often awkward looking is how he did most of his work in college, but the fact he can step outside and hit an open three point or jump shot is the part of his game that can allow him to stick in the league. Childs shot the three at 32% this past year, and his 70.8% at the free throw line suggest that his shot is structurally sound and should hold up against tougher competition. Almost pulling down 10 rebounds per game at just 6’8″ is a sign of his high motor and at times he grabs rebounds by simply outworking the other players on the floor. Defensively he has averaged over a block a game in his three seasons at BYU, and his 7’0″ wingspan is a major reason for that, which will be necessary when he faces quicker competition at the pro level. A strength of Childs game is setting a screen and either rolling to the basket or stepping back and hitting the open shot. With the pick and roll so prevalent in the pro game, this is an area that his skill set translates very well to the next level.
His athleticism would not be considered elite, his wingspan will help with that, but his lack of lateral quickness could cause problems when he goes up against much more agile power forwards. The same could be said about his speed when running the floor, so it is essential that he shows teams he can trail fast breaks and get open for an outside shot. As you can see from this dunk, his athleticism is more than adequate enough to finish at the rim:
Yoeli Childs with a GROWN MAN poster 😳 pic.twitter.com/FO1oDUloHi
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 8, 2018
This clip gives you an idea of his ability to make a move and score inside:
Yoeli Childs’ touch in the mid-post area is something special pic.twitter.com/lvdgwYADUD
— Jackson Hoy (@JHoyNBA) December 19, 2018
We currently project Childs draft stock to be in the second round to undrafted. While he has put up numbers in his time at BYU, there are legitimate questions about his game translating to the next level, as there are with any non first round lock. He can score inside, shoot the three, and finish at the rim and as long as he shows he can do that in the pre draft process and the summer league he can find a place on a roster. The lack of competition will be cited as a negative against anyone coming out of the West Coach Conference, but if you can play, it will show once you are put in the combine and the summer league. His ceiling as a professional would be a stretch four who can come off the bench and give you solid minutes, with the possibility of starter minutes given the right situation and improvement in his game. His worst case scenario would be that he goes in the second round or undrafted, and fails to find a spot on a roster forcing him to work his way up from the G league, which is never a given that you get above that level.
